Going Home A Week From Tomorrow

My spring break starts a week from tomorrow! I am really excited to get to go home and see my friends and family. It will be great to eat a home cooked meal! I cannot tell you how sick of the school cafeteria I am. I would like to eat REAL meat! Another thing I always look forward to eating when I go home is pizza! NY has such good pizza, and italian food in general. I took this for granted growing up-Nashville has limited pizza options. Although it's always nice going home, I am not looking forward to a cold spring break. While my suite mates are all going to a warm beach for break, I get to go home to snowy NY. In a way this will be good. I haven't been able to ski at all this winter since I have been at school, and it just didn't work out over Christmas break. So hopefully I'll be able to ski, but skiing isn't meant to be for SPRING break! I am so sick of sweaters and bulky coats. Oh well, maybe it will be warm by the time I return to Nashville. That's my rant for today.

My thoughts for today

Today has been a long, yet productive day. I made a list of things I had to get done, and I think I did all but one of the things on my list-to start a group paper. It's ok though, I'll work on it on my break tomorrow. I have also done a lot of reflecting today I feel. Nothing profound or anything, just about life in general and how I got to where I am today. As part of Belmont's curriculum we have to go to so many convocations before we can graduate. Today I went to one where the President of Belmont, Dr. Fisher, and his wife talked about a book they recently published called "Life Is A Gift". They interviewed just over 100 people who were about to die asking them questions such as "What brings you the greatest joy in life?", "If you could tell the world one message what would it be?", "What is your greatest regret?", etc. It was a really interesting convo and I'm glad I went. It just really made me think about what is really important in life. I went on about my day but then I was to Chris' school and we got into a conversation with another guy who lives in Chris' dorm. He was just asking how Chris and I met, so we told him and then the conversation led to other things about our lives. It just made me reflect on my life once again and just how much I have grown in the past few years. Here I am at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. Just a few years ago I never would have thought this is where I would be, but here I am. Well those are my random thoughts for today. Goodnight!

Day 2 of Blogging

2 days in a row! Yeah! I don't have too many thoughts for today, so today's post will be brief. It has been really cold in Nashville these past few days and it is making me sad. Last weekend was absolutely gorgeous! It was sunny and in the high 60s! Today there were snow flurries...Oh well. It will get warm eventually! On a happier note-today IHOP is serving free pancakes! My suite mate, Chandler, and I are going to get some soon. Then LOST is on tonight! LOST could very well be the highlight of my week. I had a critique today in my design class and it went well. I love seeing everyone's take on the same project. It truly shows how many different ways and approaches you can take to solve the same problem. I guess that is one thing I love about art. Well I apologize for the randomness of this post. Just writing things as I think of them. Pancakes are calling my name! :)

I'm back!

Well I haven't blogged in a really long time, so I am going to try it again! I can't guarantee I will get to blog every day, but I will do my best.

The last time I blogged I was going through a really hard time in my life. It was definitely a time where my faith was tested. I was going through a transitional phase, and it felt like the world was crashing down on me. Since then, a lot has happened. I went to Broome Community College for a year, and as I stated in my last post, I met some truly amazing friends. One of those friends, was my boyfriend, Chris. We have been dating for almost a year and 4 months now, and I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend. During my first year of college I learned a lot and had a lot of fun, but after a year it was time for me to move on. I transferred in the fall to Belmont University which is in Nashville, TN. Nashville is a longggg ways away from Binghamton, NY, but God was telling me this was the next step I had to take in life. Being here has been such a wonderful experience. I love Nashville, the people, the weather, the southern culture, all of it! It has forced me to mature on multiple levels. God has also placed some more wonderful people in my life who have stretched and encouraged me both mentally and spiritually.

As I look back on these last few years, it amazes me how fast time flies by. It seems like just yesterday I created this blog for my high school Communications class, and now here I am almost two years later and just about half way done with my college career. I haven't decided yet if this is a good thing, or bad. I just know I don't want to take any minute of it for granted because before I know it college will be over and then I'll have to face the real world. On that note, I'll try to write tomorrow. Goodnight!

Change

It has been way too long since I have blogged, and just decided I want to get back into the habit of blogging! 

Change. Change has been the theme of my life for the past few months now. There has been good change, and bad change. No..bad isn't the right word...more like change that has been difficult for me to accept and deal with. I guess all this change started when my grandpa died in June. I know it was his time, and I knew exactly where he was going, but it was still a change and I had a tough time with it. About the same time I was dealing with that I also had to let go of a close friend. He means the world to me and I miss him everyday, but I know it was what I had to do and I don't regret it. It was just another big change in my life. I graduated from highschool, another change, but an exciting one. The summer was tough. I look back on it and although it wasn't what I had imagined it to be, God blessed me abundantly. He put some truly amazing people into my life to help me get through and I don't know where I would be without them. College started at the end of August, another change, but a good change! I absolutely love college. Thanks to my friend Joe, I have met a lot of truly amazing people. I love my classes and the new freedoms I have. My group of friends have changed, but I think it was something I needed. Anyway...I was camping this weekend and was looking at all the beautiful trees changing colors. It got me thinking about change and how much has happened to me in the past few years. I have changed a lot. I have had my share of mistakes...but everyone changes and matures. Like the trees, I have entered a new season of my life and although it can be scary at times, everything is going to be okay.

RIP Grandpa

"I have the best doctor of all, God." I remember the day my grandpa said those words to me. My family and I were sitting in my grandpa's hospital room a few weeks after his legs had been amputated. It was such a typical thing for my grandpa to say. As bad as his situation seemed, he was always so incredibly positive.

I learned a lot from my grandpa during the long four months he was in the hospial. I realized that I am going to encounter challenges in life. It is how I handle them that matters. My grandpa could have easily lost faith when his legs were amputated. He could have complained about the unbearable amount of pain he was in, and about the length of time he was in the hospital, but he did not. Instead, he made the best out of a bad situation.

When I am faced with a challenge I have to embrace it has a chance to grow. I have to realize that there is a reason for that trial even though I may not be able to see it at that time. Because of my faith I believe that we grow and learn from our difficult times.
James 1:1-4 in the Bible says:
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything."
My grandpa is an example of a person who lives by this Bible verse. He has faith in God that when it is his time to die, God will take him. He is not afraid of death nor is he angry with God and the trials he has had to face. He has shown me how to embrace the challenges we face and to always count our blessings.

Looking back on this experience I realize that my grandpa's illness helped me learn more about my grandpa and his beliefs. It helped me grow closer not only to him, but to my family. The experience has special meaning to me because I learned from my grandpa to put all your faith in God and never give up. Everything happens for a reason even though you might not understand why you're being put through something at the time. I didn't understand why my grandpa was experiencing so much pain. I realize now that God used my grandpa's challenges to influence the people around him, including me. My grandpa showed me how to embrace life, and will one day show me how to embrace death.



I wrote this essay for school at the beginning of the year. I was just going through my old stuff and came upon it. The past few months my grandpa had really been struggling with his health. He spent all his time in bed. He really went down hill in the past few weeks, and last Sunday he passed away. I remember him telling me that although he doesn't have legs now, soon he will be dancing in heaven. RIP Grandpa. You're dancing with angels.

People Change...

I have been thinking alot lately and it is amazing how things change so quickly. I was thinking about my friends and the past year and so much has changed! Some things for the better and some things for the worse. I feel like this past year so much has happened its crazy!

One thing I was really thinking about was my friends. I have been really frustrated lately because a few of my friends in particular are not the people I remember them to be. I have grown apart from them and it makes me sad because I miss them. But then I realize the reason we grew apart was because they have changed. Whether I like it or not they are not the same person I used to know. I see it when I finally do hang out with my friend(s) that it is just not the same as it used to be. It makes me so incredibly sad because I realize it is the old person I used to know that I miss, not the person they are now. On the other hand, I have started hanging out with other people and have built some amazing friendships.

I look back on everything I have gone through the past year and it just doen’t seem possible. It is really hard to explain but I feel like everything that has happened has been like a lifetime long. It doesn’t seem like it has only been a year.

I know I keep jumping around and this might be really confusing to read but I just felt like I had to get it out. I am just speaking my mind and my mind is all over the place. But anyway..I just wonder have my friends really changed, or have I just changed? Or maybe no one has changed. Maybe I am just seeing a side of them I have never seen before? I just really wish I could get my old friend back. But life goes on I guess...